The Books of Blood

Rating:
Summary: Read it and decide for yourself...this book is a masterpiece
Review: Barker's style in The Books of Blood is second to none. No tale has ever intrigued me like the short story called "The Midnight Meat Train". Read it.
"Meat Train" is the first story in the Books of Blood (after a short introductory story), and it sets the stage for the masterworks to follow.
Think of it.....sometimes people ask themselves questions like....I wonder where the subway trains go after they stop running at the end of each night. Barker takes this simple premise and weaves a tale so terrifying and clever that I have yet to be more impacted by another piece of fiction.
The stories in Books of Blood are short but they say more than most stories 10 times thier size. This is the beauty of the short story and the genius of Barker's writing. This collection of all six volumes of the original Books of Blood is the best investment that a horror fiction fan can make. These books are modern classics that can be read and re-read. I doubt that I will ever tire of them. I love Barker's work even now. He has changed subject matter....he is no longer a horror genre author. His work is more based in fantasy now, however the tales are no less gripping.

Rating:
Summary: Read it and decide for yourself...this book is a masterpiece
Review: Barker's style in The Books of Blood is second to none. No tale has ever intrigued me like the short story called "The Midnight Meat Train". Read it.
"Meat Train" is the first story in the Books of Blood (after a short introductory story), and it sets the stage for the masterworks to follow.
Think of it.....sometimes people ask themselves questions like....I wonder where the subway trains go after they stop running at the end of each night. Barker takes this simple premise and weaves a tale so terrifying and clever that I have yet to be more impacted by another piece of fiction.
The stories in Books of Blood are short but they say more than most stories 10 times thier size. This is the beauty of the short story and the genius of Barker's writing. This collection of all six volumes of the original Books of Blood is the best investment that a horror fiction fan can make. These books are modern classics that can be read and re-read. I doubt that I will ever tire of them. I love Barker's work even now. He has changed subject matter....he is no longer a horror genre author. His work is more based in fantasy now, however the tales are no less gripping.

Rating:
Summary: Terrifying
Review: Clive Barker's 'Books of Blood' contain some of the best horror-short-stories ever written. Barker's talent to scare and impress you both with his literary genius is at his best here.

This first book is the best I think, because it contains the best stories. But the other ones are also brilliant. The best is to get all six and read them partially. There are great horror!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome in places, but more average in others.
Review: I have to say that 'Midnight Meat Train' and 'The Yattering and Jack' have to be two of the best horror stories I have ever read. Clive Barker writes very well throughout this book but I found 'Sex, Death and Starshine' a bit dull, however it was still very good reading. I found 'Book of blood' (the short story)to be very good although it did not grab my attention as much as 'Midnight Meat Train'. I thought 'In the hills, the cities' to be a bit wierd, the storyline was extremely surreal. I think that although some of the storylines were among the best I have ever read, I cannot give this book the full five stars. Had all the stories been of the quality of 'The Yattering and Jack' this book would be definitely in the five star category. Sadly this is not the case so I have to give it four. I would recommend this book to any fan of horror, just for 'The midnight meat train'.

Clive Barker is one of the best horror writers I have ever come across, at his best he can be better than Stephen King. I preferred 'Books of Blood Vol 2' to this book.

Rating:
Summary: VERY GOOD INDEED !!
Review: Marvellous book by Barker. I heard this was this first published work. It this is truth, what a wonderful debut!! of course each reader will pick up his favourite story amidst the six short stories contained here, but I think all were great, with the exception of "IN THE HILL THE CITIES", it's a good concept but didn't grab my mind. BARKER is genius, much better than Stephen King.

Rating:
Summary: Brillant
Review: The first volume of the books of blood is the best of the series. The stories in this book are highly imaginative and, off course, quite graphic. The story "In the Hills, the Cities" is one of the most daring and fascinating short pieces of work you'll read in a long time..

Rating:
Summary: First class horror and fantasy. First class stories.
Review: The stories can only make you want more Clive Barker. Images that stay in your mind for years-- from the subtle (a knotted twist of rope) to the outrageous (a city walking). A master of words and phrases-- I found myself re-reading phrases just because I'd never seen such poetry in prose (and I don't care much for poems). I've read these stories at least three time and, sacreligious as it may sound, many's the book I've tossed into the garbage before finishing it.

Rating:
Summary: The original Clive Barker
Review: These stories represent Clive Barker's first published work; written back before he had developed the poetic writing style which is seen today. Instand in these older works he uses more visceral, carnal imagery, and in horror stories like these it's very effective.

The Book of Blood -- This is the short little compulsory opening thing, not quite a story, but to big to be called an introduction. It sets up the premise for the rest of the Books of Blood.

The Midnight Meat Train -- A very good story, it sets a good standard for the rest of the stories in the series. Quickly readable, not to long, with enough blood-letting, gruesome images, awesome spectacles and powerful imagery for anyone.

The Yattering and Jack -- This personaly is my favorite story in the volume, though I'm not quite sure why. Straying more towards comedy, it's an entertaining story about a lower demon assigned to drive a man insane. The only problem is that he is so seemingly oblivious to what's going on, the Yattering doesn't know what to do. Fun, funny, light, amusing, interesting. A great story.

Pig Blood Blues -- This one doesn't have any monsters in the classic sense, it's not a slasher story, but it is the most disturbing, scary story in the collection. UGGHH! I don't get nightmares, but I can imagine recieving one from this story.

Sex, Death, and Starshine -- This is an overlong, pointless, boring story filled with sex, profanity, and little else. Maybe I'll like it better when I get older. Time will tell, but at this point, it's worthless. It should have been the closing story, for two reasons. 1) It left me completely uninspired to read the last one, and 2) It had a good last-line-in-a-book type ending.

In the Hills, the Cities -- This is a fun enjoyable story that doesn't work out if you think about it, but if you just accept it and try to visualize it it's pretty darn cool.

Overall, this is a very good book, marred by the second to last story, and the relatively short length. If you like horror stories, I recommend it, but for a better deal buy the collection of the first three books of blood.

Rating:
Summary: The original Clive Barker
Review: These stories represent Clive Barker's first published work; written back before he had developed the poetic writing style which is seen today. Instand in these older works he uses more visceral, carnal imagery, and in horror stories like these it's very effective.

The Book of Blood -- This is the short little compulsory opening thing, not quite a story, but to big to be called an introduction. It sets up the premise for the rest of the Books of Blood.

The Midnight Meat Train -- A very good story, it sets a good standard for the rest of the stories in the series. Quickly readable, not to long, with enough blood-letting, gruesome images, awesome spectacles and powerful imagery for anyone.

The Yattering and Jack -- This personaly is my favorite story in the volume, though I'm not quite sure why. Straying more towards comedy, it's an entertaining story about a lower demon assigned to drive a man insane. The only problem is that he is so seemingly oblivious to what's going on, the Yattering doesn't know what to do. Fun, funny, light, amusing, interesting. A great story.

Pig Blood Blues -- This one doesn't have any monsters in the classic sense, it's not a slasher story, but it is the most disturbing, scary story in the collection. UGGHH! I don't get nightmares, but I can imagine recieving one from this story.

Sex, Death, and Starshine -- This is an overlong, pointless, boring story filled with sex, profanity, and little else. Maybe I'll like it better when I get older. Time will tell, but at this point, it's worthless. It should have been the closing story, for two reasons. 1) It left me completely uninspired to read the last one, and 2) It had a good last-line-in-a-book type ending.

In the Hills, the Cities -- This is a fun enjoyable story that doesn't work out if you think about it, but if you just accept it and try to visualize it it's pretty darn cool.

Overall, this is a very good book, marred by the second to last story, and the relatively short length. If you like horror stories, I recommend it, but for a better deal buy the collection of the first three books of blood.

Rating:
Summary: Very well written and completly enjoyable
Review: This is the first Clive Barker book I've ever read, but I enjoyed completly. Mr. Barker has a way of getting to your fears you didn't even know you had.